Ease of navigation

Such a big hospital demands major design considerations to make it as functional as possible. To ensure ease of navigation in the New Karolinska Solna hospital, White Arkitekter used different colors for different levels, departments and buildings, and different materials to identify different areas. Jörgen Pell explains that entrance systems are crucial to navigation because they mark the borders between different areas and wards, and as long as they are well coordinated they will help “... every person know where to go and what to use or not.”

Not only are the logistics of the hospital extensive and complex, they also need to take wheelchair, wheeled-bed and equipment access into account. This means the floor had to be free from steps and thresholds. Jörgen and his team worked closely with ASSA ABLOY to relocate closing mechanisms and seals that would otherwise be incorporated under a threshold.